Feeder buses for Penang Bridge shuttle service

Feeder buses will begin plying from Juru and Bandar Perda on the mainland today to link up with the Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (Best) bus service.

Graphic: Rapid Penang

This is another positive move by the Penang state government, working together with the federally owned Rapid Penang, to expand the use of public transport in the state.

Some 800 people are presently using Best. That is close to 800 vehicles fewer on the Penang Bridge during peak hours.

Unfortunately, the federal entity, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad, has not responded to the Penang state government’s other plan: to allocate RM10m a year for public buses to provide free transport during peak hours on the island. Why is Prasarana not cooperating?

BEST (Bridge Express Shuttle Transit) was first introduced by Penang State Government in March 2011 as the country’s first park and ride service. The BEST service is an effort by Penang State Government to promote the use of public transport. For the past two years the daily commuter has increased up to 800 commuters. As of 3 September 2012, Penang State Government expand the service by introducing two new feeder hub at Bandar Perda and Auto City at Juru.

The express service will now depart from Bandar Sunway, Bandar Perda and Auto City Juru to FIZ Bayan Lepas, in the morning and return from FIZ area in the evening the operating period for the express service is as follows:

Morning Session : 6.10am to 8.10am Evening Session : 4.30pm to 6.50pm

Car parking will be available at Sunway Carnival Mall, Bandar Perda (opposite LHDN) and Auto City Car Park. Factory personnel can park their vehicles around this area and board the express service to Bayan Lepas FIZ. The express service will cover all areas in FIZ 1,2,3,4 , Technoplex and BLIP.

New features and benefits of the expansion of BEST Service will include better connectivity from Sunway Carnival, Bandar Perda (BM), Auto City Juru to Komtar via Queensbay Mall.

17 COMMENTS

Save petrol (and car maintenance on long term), save bridge toll, avoid frustrating traffic jam, take a nap and go green. Park and ride. Such a green effort initiated by the Penang govt yet response is still luke warm. Are Penangites too proud to park and ride, environmentally unfriendly, too rich or just “tidak apa”. One can save upto RM20/day using this free shuttle service or RM400/month. Think of this. There’s enough to pay monthly installment for a medium size family car that you can use during the weekend to bring your family out for a good time at the seaside, shopping centre or a theatre!!

It is good to hear that 800 people are benefitting from this bus service.There are many more people who are benefitting from the shuttle service in Georgetown which was started by the previous government. I had always maintain that it should not be free. At least charge a nominal sum.

According to Bolehland(TM) ruling, if you charge a fees, than it will falls under federal government jurisdiction. However, a “donation” is another story. Since the services is experimental for the time being, the collection can always implement later.

800 less car? Unless there is benchmark and survey, we can’t sure these 800+ passenger will lead to 800 less car.

Since this is a free services, the ultimate goals is experiment the most efficient way of utilise the service, rather than the usual “conveniences”.

IMHO, breaking down all the bus services point to more localised hub and spokes point, (similar to courier/postal services collection and forward services) this will reduce bus that “trapped” inside particular busy traffics route.

For many people that don’t use their brain, “direct routes” seems “convenient”. Alas, it is NOT EFFICIENT, and it is time consuming. When ONE direct route/express bus caught in massive traffic, there will one LESS bus that services the local route. An “inconvenience” route with MANY EXCHANGE allow the service provider adequately put resources on the busiest route to give better services.

For route A , it seems “simpler”. Since the 1st bus will take 60 mins to go back to original point. You need 60/20 = 3 buses. And if you don’t allow the driver to rest…Otherwise, add 1 more. 4 buses. And you may want to hire 2 or more drivers to take shift.

For route B. it looks “complicated”. You need 3 buses. And ironically, if you check the B.1 route, you notice the drivers have a 10mins gap to rest for a while.. Isn’t it interesting. That mean, with a good schedule, the bus drivers just swap the duty from time to time, they can get enough rest without suffer work fatigue. Again, there is no harm to have 2 or more drivers take shift.

And I haven’t talk about traffic jam hours. For route A. When all 3 buses stuckked in the traffics on the bridge, that’s mean ZERO bus services from Sunway carnival to the bridge (and the route ). If you keep feeding bus to the express route, it is financially stupid, how many extra you going to feed?

And for route B, it is no brainer, just feed bus between the jam route. Put the drivers who normally take the rest shift, went into the trunk route.

Is this rocket science? No. such application already applied to the daily life, courier services, the no-frills flight. And the Internet and computer also build using the same logic and logistic.

As far as free public transport goes, the state gomen is trying to help the workers ease on their transport costs. And to also reduce volume of cars plying the bridge during peak time (which also means less revenue for the bridge toll collections!) & better quality of air (now is haze season, no thanks to the Indon estate burning). Since cost of living is getting higher in Penang, this can help in some ways & maybe encourage some to migrate to mainland, yet can still work on the island. FYI, just check with some rentals in the city which can go as high as Rm5K for a double storey business premise in Jalan Batu Lanchang, Rm4 & above average of those prewar houses in innercity. NO reno done. Hard time to do business if you have to rent a place in GT.

Yes time is hard but definitely not hard for the corrupted because they can get bailed out just like EDL.

The LGR PR state government is helping the poor and it seem that some people do not want the help to go to these poor people. The reason most likely they could use it for some political mileage when GE campaign starts.

As for me instead of using car, I move around in motobike. Its convenient and save on petrol.

I don’t see how it is unfair to you. The buses were bought using people’s money, the fuel is bought using the people’s money, likewise the driver’s salaries and the entire corporation. If they can afford it, I don’t see how that is unfair. If you are happy with Rapid’s and generally prasarana’s very good services than u should use the bus too. Like everyone else you too will have it free. If you are not satisfied or too find prasarana’s services to be too inefficient for you, then you have to pay to drive your own vehicle. It is a way of encouraging people to use their services. The city CAT(central area transit in sydney, melbourne and brisbane are all free too). In brisbane even the water ferries are completely free.

Anil, If I am not mistaken, the problems of your blog started after you change the system to word press. We can still thumb up and down on the same posting repeatedly after the computer have been switch off and on. In the yahoo and many other blog, once you have made a thumb up or down on that posting, you will not be able to thumb again even after you have switch off and restart the computer.

As a result some political cyber trooper normally have 5 or 6 or more computer. After thumbing they close, switch on and rethumb repeatedly.

Try and see if what I am saying is true. I also believed that the word press can be easily manipulated as one of my website is also using word press for editing.

Thanks to Anil & Azrai for highligting this matter – good for rakyat’s (especially retirees) pocket and environment (less polluting carbon in the air from ever increasing traffic) !!!

The rakyat should now realize the genuine effort to overcome crazy traffic situation in Penang. If we use less private cars and resort to public transport (it’s catch 22 but there must be an urgency to start campaign for public efficiency), we can save up more money for more critical expenditure like nutritious food and education of children.

I think we should change the mindsets of typical malaysians who associate car ownerships (like youngster very hip with mobile gadgets) as status symbols. Driving fancy cars do not necessarily mean you are well-off financially (on loan scheme) ! My bankers at Beach Street told me the well-to-do folks drive simple cars and wear modestly and they have very healthy savings many of us find it hard to imagine ! Don’t believe, next time you go and observe these people on the streets of Penang, many of whom are hawkers by the streets